Eight years ago
The night smelled like rain and smoke.
The big hall was filled with people.
Every eye was on me.
Every face burned with anger, sadness, or hate.
I was on my knees. My dress was dirty and soaked.
My hands shook so hard I couldn't stop them.
My chest hurt, like a heavy stone was pressing on it.
"Liar!"
"Traitor!"
"Poisoner!"
The words hit me again and again,
each one like a slap to my heart.
I looked up. Luna Scott — the Alpha's mate — lay on the floor.
Her skin was pale, her lips blue.
The same woman who smiled at me whenever I brought flowers to the pack house.
Now she was gone.
And everyone believed I killed her.
I wanted to scream, but my throat closed tight.
"I didn't do it!" I cried, my voice breaking.
"I swear on the Moon Goddess, I didn't do it! Please, believe me!"
But no one listened.
No one cared.
The smell of food still hung in the air — roasted meat and the soup I'd cooked with my own hands.
I had been so proud that morning.
The Beta's daughter helping to serve the Alpha's family — it was supposed to be a happy day.
Alpha Scott stood at the top of the hall, his face red with anger.
He had always been kind to me before.
He used to pat my head and say, "You'll make a fine Luna one day, Aria."
Now his eyes were sharp and cold.
"You made the meal," he said, his voice like steel.
"You fed my Luna. Now she is dead. What do you have to say for yourself?"
I shook my head quickly, tears streaming down my face.
"I didn't! I followed the chef's orders! I never touched anything wrong!"
People started whispering.
I heard my name mixed with ugly words — evil, snake, witch.
My heart broke.
I looked for one person.
Only one — Jason Michaels.
He stood beside his father, the Alpha's son.
My best friend since childhood.
We used to race by the river and climb apple trees.
He would laugh and say,
"When I become Alpha, I'll make you my Luna. You'll always be beside me."
Those words had been my dream — my reason to smile every day.
But now, he looked at me like I was a stranger.
Our eyes met.
His face was pale and full of pain — but not for me.
For his mother, lying lifeless on the floor.
"Jason," I whispered weakly. "Please. You know me. You know I'd never do this."
He didn't answer.
I crawled forward on my knees.
"Please, say something…"
Then his lips moved.
"I didn't expect this from you, Aria."
I stopped breathing.
His words cut through me like a blade.
Tears burned my eyes, but I didn't blink.
He turned away, refusing to look at me again.
The world spun.
Everything felt distant, like a nightmare I couldn't wake from.
I reached toward him, but someone grabbed my arm and yanked me back.
My father — Beta Daniel Crowns.
His face burned with shame and fury.
I had never seen him look at me that way before.
"Father—" I began.
SLAP!
His hand struck my face so hard I fell to the floor.
The sound echoed through the hall.
Everyone went silent.
"Don't call me father!" he shouted.
"You have shamed me before the whole pack! You — my daughter — killed the Luna!"
"I didn't!" I screamed through my tears. "Please, I didn't!"
His hand rose again, trembling with rage.
"You are an abomination! You've cursed this family!"
I crawled backward, sobbing.
I looked at my mother, Mary Crowns.
She had always been cold, but I hoped she'd stop him.
Instead, she crossed her arms and said,
"I told you not to dream too high, Aria. You thought you could be Luna? Look where your greed brought you."
Her voice was calm, but it cut like ice.
My brother Maxwell stood beside her, smiling slightly.
"Maybe she tried to make a love potion," he said loudly.
"Too bad it killed the wrong person."
Laughter filled the hall.
They laughed at me — the girl who once served them food with love.
My body trembled. My heart shattered.
No one believed me.
Not my family.
Not my friend.
Not even the Moon Goddess.
Alpha Scott's voice rose again, deep and furious.
"Enough," he said. "We have heard enough lies."
He stepped down from his chair and walked toward me.
Each step thundered in my ears.
"Aria Crowns," he said, "for your crime against this pack, speak your last words before I pass judgment."
I lifted my head slowly, lips shaking.
Faces that once felt like home now looked like strangers.
"I didn't poison the Luna," I whispered.
"But if you still choose to hate me, I have nothing more to say."
Silence filled the hall.
Then Alpha Scott's eyes burned brighter.
"Aria Crowns," he said coldly, "you have taken a life.
You have broken our sacred peace.
You have shamed your father, your family, and your pack."
Voices rose.
"Banish her!"
"Send her away!"
"She doesn't belong here!"
My heart pounded.
I wanted to run, but my legs wouldn't move.
I felt like a bird with broken wings, trapped in a cage of hate.
My father spoke, his voice like stone.
"Alpha, do what must be done. I will not protect her."
I turned to him in shock.
"Father… please," I whispered.
He didn't even look at me.
"Mom… please say something…"
She smiled, cruel and proud.
"You should have known your place, Aria," she said.
"Now you'll learn what happens when a foolish girl dreams too high."
The crowd laughed again.
My throat closed. Breathing hurt.
I searched for Jason one last time.
He stood behind his father, fists tight, face pale.
Our eyes met — just for a heartbeat.
"Jason…" I whispered.
He looked away.
Didn't speak.
Didn't fight for me.
That silence broke something inside me forever.
Alpha Scott stopped in front of me, power radiating from him.
He raised his marked hand.
"By the law of the Blue Moon Pack," he declared,
"you, Aria Crowns, are hereby banished.
You will leave this land before sunrise.
If you return, you will be killed on sight."
Gasps filled the room.
Some nodded.
Some whispered prayers.
No one defended me.
My world collapsed in a breath.
"Take her away," the Alpha ordered.
Two guards grabbed me.
Their hands were rough and cold.
They pulled me up, my knees scraping the floor.
"Please!" I cried. "I have nowhere to go! I didn't do anything!"
No one answered.
Only silence — and my own sobs.
As they dragged me toward the door,
I looked around the hall one last time.
The place where I'd laughed, dreamed, and belonged.
Now everyone looked at me like I was a monster.
My father's eyes were full of shame.
My mother's full of pride.
And Jason's — empty.
The big wooden doors opened.
Cold wind rushed in, and rain began to fall.
The guards shoved me outside.
I fell into the mud, my dress soaking through.
Behind me, the heavy doors closed with a loud bang.
It sounded like the end of my life.
I lay there crying into the dirt,
hearing their laughter echo through the walls.
Then slowly, painfully,
I pushed myself to my feet.
Only then did I truly understand
what betrayal felt like.